Cat PowerCat Power – is there anyone more gently charismatic than you? Part Beth Orton, part Annie Lennox, part totally her own woman, the spikey blonde crop and understated stage moves drew us in. Now nearly 20 years in the game, the crafts(wo)manship isn't surprising, nor the lesson in alternative stage craft. Supported by Mick Turner – whose atmospheric approach was solid, but perhaps a bit too distant – Power aka Chan Marshall commanded the room using different tools. Lit from behind to provide the crowd with only a silhouette for most of the show, she was always in control, but not always a drawing focus.
As the lights came down to start Cat Power's set, the stage remained empty for a playing of Bob Dylan's Shelter From The Storm to begin – maybe a communal psych-up? – before the slow live arpeggio intro of 2006's The Greatest began and slowly built. The band came on and added to it one by one, and eventually Marshall began to howl and prowl in the darkness. The tension was broken with newbie, Cherokee (providing a little pop structure for good measure) and throughout the night this pattern of loose/tight, convention and subversion continued, carried always by Marshall's genuine commitment to the cause. Never over the top but never quite shoegaze-y either, the audience were clearly captured with the (sometimes badly timed) “I love you”s that peppered the set, but Marshall kept the interaction to a respectful minimum, clearly a musician with her own plan for the night's proceedings. Particularly striking were I Don't Blame You, 3,6,9 (hipster dancing, yeah!), Always On My Own and Silent Machine and, to counter the silent beginning, when it came time to go, Marshall only waved out her band, leaving the stage and as the lights rose, the house played Kanye West featuring Pusha T's New God Flow. Another unexpected turn, which was awesome.
